Glimpse

Last night we said farewell to Glimpse after eight incredible years.  We scribbled down memories of cats, Choose Love, birdsong singles, climate nans, imaginary agencies and so much more. Then we took it all out to the fire and burned it.  It was a beautiful event with a swirl of different emotions. Sadness at a big phase of life passing, but huge pride and love for what we did and the brilliant people who made it happen.  At one point we handed many of our projects to other organisations who will help them grow and flourish, a ceremonial passing of the torch.  — At its best, Glimpse inspired people that another world is possible. We showed that creativity can be used for good and so many creative people want to try something different.  We raised millions for refugees, got nature into the pop charts, supported grassroots climate action and helped influence government policy.  But last night we talked about the stuff we can’t measure. The ripples of energy that spread outwards in mysterious and unknowable ways. The kids who visited the cat posters to take selfies. The community groups who had tea with climate nan. The agency staff who felt encouraged to speak up for the first time. None of us really knows where this will lead, but last night we sent our intentions flying into the sky. A huge, huge thanks to everyone who came last night and the many, many more who played a part in Glimpse’s success over the years. It’s been a vital source of hope and joy, and we will be forever grateful.

I’ve been using a fake ad agency to annoy @mccann_mw for their work with the world’s biggest fossil fuel producer. This film details the most dangerous stunts I’ve ever been involved in (with fellow conspirators @weglimpse @mandrews.studio @theutopiabureau ). Viewer discretion is advised. #greenwashing #advertising #climateaction #satire

"If you want to change the world, throw a better party”. At the end of last week, @weglimpse and @purpose_disruptors threw a party to launch the Agency for Nature. This unique creative agency is designed "to build hype for a nature-connected lifestyle". How can we make a slower, wilder way of living feel aspirational and desirable in youth culture? After months of intense work, five creative pairs from top UK agencies shared their ideas, which you can see in the images below. They also shared the craft and passion that went into the work and how it's inspired their agency peers to get involved. You can read about all the campaigns on our website, but for now we want to take a moment, slow down and reflect on a profound experience. There’s no doubt that this kind of work is ‘pushing at an open door’, not just within the creative industry but for culture at large. People really are ready for a new way of living, but we need it to be presented with the style, energy and humour of the best pop culture 💅. Watch this space for more on the Agency For Nature, coming soon.

Step into Nature’s boudoir this Valentine’s with the debut book, the Ecokamasutra. 💘🌿 The brilliant @sam_and_ivan (The&Partnership) created this glorious, 10-part guide unearthing nature’s lesser-known, seductive side. The book was created as part of our Agency for Nature campaign formed with @weglimpse to help a new generation fall in love with nature. Swipe for shots of the book in the wild, along with closeups of the mesmerising illustrations created by the endlessly talented illustrator @_wei.wu_ 💫 The book is unique. Handy yet hilarious, raunchy yet respectful. It’s inspired by scientific studies which show the more we love nature, the better we take care of it, It’s also inspired by the fun-loving artists of the ecosexual movement. And turns our everyday interactions with nature, like sunbathing and looking at clouds, into intense sensual experiences (‘Soil Play’, ‘Puddle Sploshing’ & ‘Cloud Voyeurism’). It calls on eco-virgins (those yet to dip into a deeper relationship with nature) to get up close and personal! Get your free copy now at agencyfornature.com and meet lover nature 💜 @nowpictured @sammcollinss #agencyfornature #creativity #valentines #ecokamasutra

🌍 EARTH HAS A NEW AD AGENCY Welcome to the ‘Agency For Nature’. The creative agency for all life on Earth. A new collaboration from @weglimpse and @purpose_disruptors to see what happens when world-class creativity reps the third rock from the sun. Working with creatives from top UK agencies, the Agency For Nature has produced billboards, videos, books and experiences to help a new generation fall back in love with the natural world. The UK has the lowest level of 'nature connectedness' in Europe. This isn’t surprising - nature has totally disappeared from pop culture, as well as our parks, gardens and daydreams. What’s more, our research with YouGov shows a whopping 77% of 18-35 year olds want to be more connected to nature. So what's stopping them? There are tons of barriers to connecting with nature - including access to green space, bad urban planning and inequality. But alongside these structural challenges is a cultural one: nature needs to feel desirable and relevant to a new generation. When it's up against some of the most powerful brands in the world, the wild life needs a little leg-up. The work is truly gorgeous and the whole process has been a dream. Big ❤️ and thanks to our little nature family and creative explorers @catarinasrneves @blue_peas @markwbetteridge @susiecornelius @sam_and_ivan @hannahyoungy_ @aaleks_design @jasandgeo #Creativity #Advertising #ClimateChange #Nature #natureconnection #ecology

Imagine a world where… nature had its own creative agency. 🌿 Get ready for the first wave of gorgeous campaigns from our pop-up ‘Agency For Nature’. An experiment to see what happens when we use brilliant creativity to help young people fall back in love with the natural world. It’s not just the work itself that’s doing things differently. The project has been an open collaboration between five top UK agencies, ten incredible creatives, @weglimpse and Purpose Disruptors, and our more-than-human collaborators in the wild. @wk_ldn @leoburnettuk @oliver_agency @sam_and_ivan @weareamplify @susiecornelius @markwbetteridge @jasandgeo @blue_peas @caterinaneves @hannahyoungy_ @aaleks_design Stay tuned for more over the coming days! 👀 #Creativity #Advertising #Nature #Ecology #MentalHealth #ClimateChange

“By converting oil barrels into Badger Bungalows, we're providing these creatures with stylish and eco-friendly homes while promoting the importance of wildlife preservation.” Imagine a world where… advertising agencies were honest about working with fossil fuel clients. Over the past two months we’ve created a spoof agency called Atmospheric. Instead of being shy about working with oil & gas clients, this agency is proud to pitch for the world’s biggest polluters. We’ve created a company website and LinkedIn page, actual billboards, a fictional CEO who's been published in @thedrummag , and even delivered cupcakes to a rival agency. Our ideas for promoting oil clients include whimsical badger bungalows, sending trees into space ‘to highlight trees’, and sticking a football pitch on an oil rig for the next world cup. This all might sound a bit silly, but real agencies like McCann are currently pitching for Aramco, the Saudi owned oil giant and the biggest fossil fuel company on earth. Ad agencies can pitch for any client they like. What they can’t do is pitch for these firms while also pretending they have a meaningful policy on climate change. Sometimes satire and humour is the best way to point out the absurdity of corporate behaviour in a climate crisis. Our website is a classic example of moody agency design, created by @mandrews.studio , while the brilliant copy was penned by our friend @olifro.st . Our pals @theutopiabureau finished the job with a screamer of a pitch deck and the idea of delivering custom cupcakes to McCann. If you haven’t seen the website, the pitch ideas or our delicious cupcakes please do search for Atmospheric and look up the friendly CEO Jamie Kolkot on LinkedIn. Because while the climate is changing, business shouldn't have to.

Are you overwhelmed this jam-packed December? Need a moment to slow down these last few weeks of the year? Try this nature connection exercise, and feel the hectic backdrop of city life melt away👇🏼 First, find a nature spot to settle down in. Take a deep breath. Then lean into each of your senses...one by one: 👀 See. Focus on details. What shapes, edges and textures can you see? Are they uniform or irregular? 👂 Hear. Is there the wind rustling leaves, birdsong, moving water? 👃🏼 Smell. Flowers, foliage, bark, soil, rain! ✋🏾 Feel. From the wind to textures of plants. 👄 Taste. Can you try any plants taste (safely!) With a pen and paper, try drawing these sensations, focusing on everything but sight. It’s not meant to look like anything, it’s about letting the sensations flow through you, while quieting your mind. 🖼️ We did this exercise with the 10 talented creatives from top ad agencies who’ve been seconded to the Agency For Nature - a new initiative from @weglimpse and @purpose_disruptors . Their brief is to help a new generation fall back in love with the natural world. 🍃 This simple exercise helped them connect with their new client, nature. They’re now cultivating some wildly creative campaign ideas to help humanity rekindle it’s love for the natural world. Find out more at agencyfornature.com. 🌱

Imagine a world free from fossil fuels >>>> We’re joining @creatives_for_climate in calling for an end to greenwashing at COP28 and beyond. This year the debate is being framed around “phasing down” the “unabated use” of fossil fuels — this language intentionally obfuscates from the real goal of cutting out fossil fuels altogether. We need to break through this ambition-limiting language and start to fully realise a better system. It’s time to get real and start using our imagination. #cop28 #creativity #fossilfuels

NEW: together with Toxic Bonds, we were in Edinburgh on Tuesday to ask @abrdn.plc employees what they thought about the company’s toxic investments in fossil fuels. abrdn calls itself a responsible investor, with its 2021 rebrand following a merger designed to pitch itself as ‘modern’, ‘dynamic’, ‘sustainable’.   Yet abrdn has no policy to stop new, or phase out existing, investments in coal. It is one of the few European asset managers without a coal exclusion policy - falling behind its competitors.  Currently, abrdn holds over $3.6 billion in bonds of companies expanding coal ($994 mill), oil and gas ($2.6 bill) with over 50% of its coal bonds due to mature after 2030.  We think abrdn should deny new debt to companies expanding fossil fuel projects and divest existing bonds from fossil fuel companies that don’t not have decent plans. What do you think?  #ToxicBonds  📷@andrewperrycouk

A technical glitch meant that @nataliebyrne video responding to greenwashing didn’t feature on our channels. Here is a repost so you can seeee Natalie Byrne: “I’ve said no to working with a lot of companies that don’t align with my values and thats hard at first but building a creative career that I’m proud of and aligns with my values is important to me. Oil & Gas companies are the worst culprits of greenwashing because of the extent of their lies have on the planet. Greenwashing is a marketing technique used to convince consumers that a product is more eco-friendly than it actually is. Basically , it’s false advertising. As a working class creative saying no to a pay-check goes against my dna, but I want to share that there is a way to be a creative & stand up for what you believe in. That’s why I’m signing up to the Inside Job Campaign and committing to never working with fossil fuel clients. Talent is powerful, & these companies know that, so I won’t let them use my talent to hide their truth. Join me & check out the inside job campaign today. Link in bio! #Greenwashing”

From this content, I would like people to understand the complexity of climate conversations don’t begin and end at smaller issues such as the plastic straw! We need to extend the bandwidth of our conversations to discussing the major corporations at the heart of these issues. The topic of greenwashing really resonates with me because I often feel disabled people are excluded from climate conversations due to the focus being on individual change rather than focusing on the main contributors, BP and Shell. They manage to keep the focus off them because of the creativity PR companies apply when greenwashing them. The journey of creating this content hasn’t been the easiest. I’ve struggled with hospitalisations that have set me back - including my current admission that has delayed my posting. Despite this, I wanted to continue because I genuinely believe creativity should be used for good and I want my fellow creatives to become more aware of greenwashing so that they can make the right decision of who they choose to work with and not to work with the likes of BP and Shell. Thank you so much to @weglimpse for your patience, support and flexibility as we juggled this project with my health. I’ve put a link in my bio for anyone who’d like to learn more and join the movement to stop greenwashing 💚  #ad